ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic has imposed worldwide challenge and has significantly affected transfusion medicine. Shortage in blood products along with concerns regarding the safety of blood products have emerged. Measures to overcome these challenges have been implemented in order to decrease the demand on blood products and to encourage blood donations while taking full precautions to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission mainly at blood banks and medical centers. Several countries have been successful in facing these new challenges. In addition, the role of plasma therapy in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, especially in severe cases, has been proposed and current studies are being conducted to determine its efficacy. Other therapeutic options are currently being explored. So far, the use of convalescent plasma is considered a promising rescue treatment to be looked at.
Subject(s)
Blood Safety , COVID-19/therapy , Transfusion Medicine , Blood Donors/supply & distribution , Blood Safety/adverse effects , Blood Safety/methods , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/transmission , Humans , Immunization, Passive/methods , Transfusion Medicine/methods , Treatment Outcome , COVID-19 SerotherapyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Many patients with inherited or acquired benign hematological disorders are at increased risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19. These patients, therefore, require specific advice regarding isolation and changes to their usual treatment schedules. Their disease can also be associated with significant burden, and they necessitate life-long and regular access to therapy, and regular follow-up consultations and hospital visits. The current COVID-19 pandemic is therefore presenting many challenges for these patients, their families, and health-care professionals. AREAS COVERED: This review provides an overview of the reported COVID-19 cases in the literature in patients with certain benign hematological disorders including thalassemia, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, immune thrombocytopenia, venous thromboembolism, and aplastic anemia. The review also outlines some recommendations on how to manage these patients if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2. To review the literature on benign hematological disorders and COVID-19, a bibliographic search was performed using PubMed for articles published between January 2020 and June 2020. EXPERT OPINION: International efforts must be made to continue reporting and better understanding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients and accordingly develop a set of recommendations to optimize the treatment of future infected patients.